Liberal Demorats had wanted shop vouchers to be given to those who recycle

Calls for the council to scrap plans to limit households to 80 rubbish bags a year and introduce recycling incentives instead have been thrown out.

But the authority has said it will be bidding for a share of a £250 million funding pot which would see it promise to retain weekly bin collections for five years.

The Liberal Democrat party made a plea for the council’s executive to throw out plans for a limited number of bags and to offer people shop vouchers instead if they recycle their rubbish.

But the council’s executive member for environment said it was too late to change the scheme which is due to come into force in 2012.

Under the new rules households will be charged £60 for green waste bins and limited to 80 sacks of waste, although larger households will get extra bags. The recycling service will change from fortnightly to weekly in line with the existing weekly bin collections.

Speaking at a meeting of the full council on Thursday, September 29, Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Conway submitted a motion for the council to think again on its waste plans.

He said: “The executive seems to favour compelling residents to recycle more by restricting the volume of household waste the council will collect.

“We in the opposition want the executive to consider the very different approach of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

“The Royal Borough incentivises recycling by offering rewards to households based on the weight of recyclable rubbish collected.”

In Windsor and Maidenhead residents can get vouchers for Marks & Spencers, Legoland and local leisure centres with the number of rewards dependent on how much people recycle. But Councillor Gary Cowan, told members that consulting on a new idea would mean the council could not go ahead with contracts and could leave the authority without any means of rubbish collection from April 1, next year.

He said: “In my opinion the service overall is better.

“You can pick on any council and compare and we would never compare like for like. What we have to do is have a service that delivers to our residents that meets the needs as best we can. The fact that people will be putting more stuff into recycling means they will put less into the black sacks.”

Following the debate, it was announced the Government is to launch a £250 million fund for authorities willing to keep or restore weekly collections.

The Weekly Collections Support Scheme is being funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and will give money to councils which can guarantee weekly collections for five years and demonstrate improvements in recycling.

Cllr Cowan said: “Yes we will [be applying] because what they said was that if the council are prepared to maintain the service for five years they would be eligible and if that is the requirement to do it the answer is yes we will go for it. The other side is I would be very annoyed if because we are already doing what the Government want the councils who are not get the money and we do not.”

Speaking at the meeting of the full council leader of the Wokingham Liberal Democrats Councillor Prue Bray warned that limiting the number of rubbish bags would make life more difficult for households.

He said: “Wokingham Borough Council cannot stick their head in the sand.

“Limiting families of four people to 80 bags a year is going to make life more difficult for our residents, rather than make it as easy as possible.”

Cllr Bray said the announcement of the extra cash should enable the council to fund the incentives Lib Dems believe are needed.